A New Lupus Drug, Finally

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About 1.5 million Americans (most of them women) suffer from lupus, an autoimmune condition that affects the skin, joints, and many organs in the body. Yet there hasn't been a drug specifically designed to treat it—until now. Benlysta, which targets immune cells involved in lupus, just got FDA approval last week.

Currently, lupus is treated with a combination of medications that were originally designed to treat other conditions. These include anti-inflammatory drugs, steroids, immune-suppressing medications and even antimalarial drugs, according to Sandra C. Raymond, president and CEO of the Lupus Foundation of America. "Many of these treatments have serious and devastating side effects that can include bone loss and osteoporosis, infection, infertility, increased risk of cancer, and more," she says.

The new drug, Benlysta, isn't a cure-all, and it's not suitable for all patients with lupus. If you're a good candidate for it, you'll have to return to the doctor's office every few weeks to get it since it's given by intravenous injection. Because this drug suppresses the immune system the side effects can be quite serious, and it also appears to increase the risk of depression and suicide. But for many lupus patients—like this blogger—its approval represents hope for what can be a devastating illness.